


In A Perfect World

by Coquelicot7



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Ending, Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Domestic, F/M, Fix-It, Happy Ending, Other, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-07-13
Packaged: 2020-02-09 19:35:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18644701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Coquelicot7/pseuds/Coquelicot7
Summary: "Everybody wants a happy ending, right?” Let’s have it.Or: what we didn’t see after Steve comes back as an old man.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What we didn't see after Steve comes back as an old man and gives his shield to Sam.

The time machine starts shivering. Bruce puts his hands up in the air and looks down, confused. “What’s happening?!”

Steve doesn’t even turn. He knows what’s happening. He just looks over his shoulder, barely, and says “Just press the button.”

Bruce frowns and, slowly, hesitantly, suspiciously even, brings his finger back to the machine.

Tony appears before him, wearing Steve’s quantum suit and bracelet. He’s in his forties, approximately Infinity War Tony’s age.

“You’re late”, Steve says, looking over his shoulder again.

“You’re old”, Tony says sarcastically.

“Tony?”, Bruce asks, shocked, not believing his own eyes.

“Hey, buddy. What happened to you?” Tony squints, then gives a pat on Bruce’s shoulder. “I’ll fix you.”

Bruce grips Tony hard, taking him in for a hug. “You died.”

“Apparently”, Tony coughs, shifting uncomfortably but still putting his arms around Bruce. He shifts some more afterwards to let go of Bruce’s embrace. “Alright, not to ruin this, but there’s someone else I gotta see.”

“Oh man, Tony, she’s awesome. She looks just like you”, Bruce says enthusiastically.

Tony frowns. “Wait, who?”

In the background, Steve smiles.

*

Arriving at the farm house, Tony gets out of the car and goes to knock at the door. Nobody answers. “Hello? Is there anyone in here?” Something moves behing him. Morgan’s head peeks out of the little tent. Tony turns, looks at her. He frowns, starting to understand but not quite there yet, and makes a few steps forward. “Hey there. Are you here on your own?”

Morgan closes her eyes, squeezing them hard, then reopens them.

“Tony?”, says Pepper’s voice behind him.

He turns again. Pepper brings her hand to her mouth in shock.

Tony has a soft smile. “Hey Miss Potts.”

Pepper lets out a few tears and laughs at the same time. “It’s Stark actually”, she tells him.

Tony’s eyes open wide and Pepper walks to him. Putting her hands behind his neck, she strokes the back of it tenderly. She’s always loved doing that and he’s always loved her doing that. Tony drops his head down a little, pressing his forehead against Pepper’s.

“How?” she asks.

“Quantum realm. Time travel. It’s a long story. Alright, my turn. The little girl over there. Is that our daughter?”

Pepper’s smile broadens and she nods. “Mmh mmh. She loves you three thousand.”

Tony turns slowly. Morgan’s out of her little tent now. She’s still very confused. Tony walks to her, Pepper by his side. He kneels to face her, to see her little angel’s face closer. She’s so beautiful. 

“Are you back for real?”, she asks.

Tony smiles and dares give a long kiss on her forehead. “For real and forever.”

She takes his hand. Pepper takes his hand. The three of them walk to the house, to their new life. They’re gonna be okay. The three of them. Together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have post-Endgame depression. Fixing it is the only way I cope. This started as a short headcanon on Tumblr, but I kept going because there's more to show about Tony's happiness. So there's more to come!


	2. Chapter 2

_A few months later._

Morgan is asleep on the couch, her head on Tony’s lap, her legs on Pepper’s. Tony grabs the throw blanket from the armrest to put it on top of her, then goes back to stroking her hair. He stares into space for a while, just over the mantle, deep in his thoughts. There’s a picture of him, Pepper and Morgan. A picture back in time that he has no memory of, but that he got to live anyway, somehow.

He frowns, but has a little amused smile as he turns his head to Pepper. “That hair. Why did you let me?”

Pepper looks at him with those loving, soft eyes. “I love you as you are.”

Tony’s amused smile and eyes turn into a soft expression. He spreads his left arm on the backrest to reach Pepper’s shoulder and lets it there, stroking the little bit of uncovered skin tenderly. Her hand moves up to rest on top of his.

Tony looks down at Morgan. She looks so peaceful. He has only been there for three months, has only known her for three months, but things have immediately been natural and easy between them. He’s loved her right away.

“So I died and missed out a lifetime of this? I’ve had this life for three months and I don’t want to ever get deprived of it.”

“You didn’t want to go. But you were ready to go.”

He remembers the countless times they argued about this. Pepper trying to prevent him, Pepper worrying, and, in the end… Pepper understanding.

“You were ready to let me go”, he realizes.

“Well, not anymore.” She lets out a nervous laugh, then brings her other hand to her face, wiping away that single tear falling on her cheek.

His hand moves up to her cheek, wiping away the other tear that started falling.

“Hey. I’ve got a second chance, I’m not gonna blow it. Actually… I feel like, you know, 2023 me, he… I… He missed out a lifetime of this, and _I_ am gonna live it, I’m lucky, so lucky, but also, me _me_ … I’ve missed out these last five years. I see these pictures, these moments that I know are part of me but have no memory of. And I wish I had lived them. I wish I knew how it all felt.”

Pepper is looking at him in the eyes. And she has that big amused smile, despite that little bit of tears left at the corner of her eyes.

“You already know where I’m going, right?”, Tony realizes by the look on her face. Of course she knows.

She nods with a little laugh. “Mmh mmh. Say it.”

“I want to marry you. Again. We can just renew our vows. In front of our friends, in front of our daughter. I just want to live it. I wanna know how it feels. I want us to start over… Knowing death won’t do us apart this time. Not before at least another thirty years. Thirty years of peace and happiness sounds good.”

Pepper’s smile never fades away. “ _In a perfect world_ …”, she says.

“What?”

“You used to say that a lot back then. In a perfect world, we’d take Morgan to the mountains every year for her birthday. In a perfect world, we’d have three more kids. In a perfect world, we’d get married in front of all of our friends and family. All I’m saying is… It’s a pretty good world right now. Maybe we can make it perfect.”

There’s a few seconds of silence, Tony and Pepper’s eyes speaking for them instead of words. Then something moves between them.

“Mommy, is that a yes?”

Both Tony and Pepper look down. “Oh you were awake?”, Tony asks.

Morgan shuts her eyes back quickly. “No”, she says with a cheeky smile.

Tony looks back up to Pepper. “So hum, mommy. Is that a yes?”

“Yes”, Pepper says. “Three thousand times yes.”

Tony covers Morgan’s eyes with his hand as he and Pepper lean on to kiss. Morgan giggles.

“Also is it too late to have three more kids?”, Tony whispers against her lips.

“Yes.”

“I tried”, Tony laughs.

“But we can have a dog”, Morgan says, her eyes uncovered and open, her cheeky smile even bigger.

“We can have a…”, Tony starts, but stops when Pepper gives him a disapproving look. “Mommy, can we have a dog?”

“In a perfect world, we’d have a dog”, Morgan insists.

“Wow. She knows how to get to you, doesn’t she?”

Pepper shrugs, as if disapprovingly again but her eyes show amusement. “I told you she’s just like you.”

“I was gonna say she’s just like _you_.”

“I think… she’s one of a kind”, Pepper says with a smile. Her hand resting on top of Morgan’s stomach starts tickling and Morgan bursts into laughs.

“Yeah”, Tony says. “I think she’s pretty… Perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should I write the wedding? Should I? Should I?


	3. Chapter 3

“How about August 27?” 

Pepper looks at him softly from the other side of the couch. Her feet are resting on Tony’s lap. “Sometimes I wonder if all this is real. Well, yes, it is. It’s really you.” 

Tony looks back to his StarkPad, where he was scrolling through the national news. “Hammer Industries causes major power cut – yep, this is very real. What’s with August 27?” 

“That was the decoy date.” 

“Then let’s make it the real date. If we wanna make this... real.” 

“It’s in three months.” 

“I can make it in one.” 

“I’m sure you can”, Pepper says, giving him a smile that says the total opposite. 

“Doubt me?” 

“It’s not like making suits”, she warns him. 

“Yeah, of course not. It’s easier. Right?” 

* 

Wrong. 

This isn’t math, this isn’t building, this is planning. Planning is Pepper’s strong suit. Definitely not his. 

“Alright, I admit”, he says that night. There are papers and post-its everywhere on the table. Tony puts his glasses back up on his nose. “I’m lost.” 

“You tried longer than I thought”, Pepper smiles. 

“You really did doubt me.” 

“I didn’t doubt you, I just know how it is. Why do you think we were engaged for two years? We spent so much time on this.” 

“So why did you let me?” 

“Our wedding in 2019... It's my memory. This one is yours. So you deserve to do it the way you want to.” 

Tony is moved. Pepper – his wife – is putting him before her. That’s the small sacrifices right here, that make their love real. “What I want... is do this together. From A to Z. Even if it takes... way more than I thought. I don’t want us to rush this. We’ve got a lifetime, don’t we?” 

She gives him a funny look. “This better not take a lifetime.” 

“Don’t wanna marry me old and greyish?” 

“Oh, honey. You’re more yellowish than greyish.” 

“Ouch. Morgan, your mom is being mean to me.” 

Pepper runs a loving hand through his hair. Their eyes are locked on each other. “I love you yellowish.” 

“Is it gonna take a lifetime to have a dog?”, Morgan asks from the living room. 

“Uh - you’re gonna be a lifetime grounded if you don’t take your shoes off the couch.” 

“No, I wont”, she says, taking her shoes off quickly. 

“Now you won’t”, Tony says. 

As Pepper moves the chair back to sit down next to him, so they can do this _together_ , Tony reopens the holographic seating chart he was looking at earlier. “Hey, should we put Cap at the elderly’s table? Next to your grandmother? Since he’s, you know, old now. He’ll be closer to the restroom.” 

Pepper shakes her head but laughs. “You’re awful. Yes, let’s sit him there. Now move Nat over there – we should have an all women table.” 

* 

There are so many things to do in this new life. So many things to discover. So many things to enjoy. And all of these things are the little things. Like right now. 

Leaning against Morgan’s bedroom door, Tony watches her with a smile. She’s sitting on the floor and playing quietly with her toys. She knows how to keep herself busy. Her back is turned on Tony, who doesn’t make himself known so as not to interrupt her. He just wants to cherish this moment and save it in his memory forever. 

All of a sudden, she raises her arms in the air and exclaims “Shit!” 

Tony startles with a laugh. “Shit?” 

Morgan turns and puts her hand on her mouth. But her eyes betray the smile that she’s hiding. 

Tony steps in and looks down to see what caused Morgan’s enthusiasm. There’s a small metallic dog on the floor, walking slowly but standing solidly on its feet, its tail wagging. Tony raises his eyebrows in surprise. “Did you make that?”, he asks as he kneels down to sit on the floor next to her. 

There are several children’s Build-Your-Own Robot kit boxes open around her. Tony had always insisted on getting her toys her age, Pepper said. “My dad tried to make me a genius, always tried to make me do better. I won’t do that. She’ll get there if she wants to, but I want her to be a kid first and foremost.” Tony couldn’t agree with himself more. 

“Mmh mmh”, she nods. “I didn’t want to wait a lifetime to have a dog.” 

Tony laughs, and takes the small robot dog in his hand to analyze it closer. “You made that out of low quality tools and material? That’s amazing, I’m impressed.”, he says. He gives her a kiss on top of her head. “I’m very proud of you.” 

“Thank you”, she says, getting back to play with the dog. “I’m gonna call her Yippee.” 

“Yippee”, Tony laughs. “Wanna take Yippee to the teeppee ?” 

“I need to finish her first.” 

“Alright.” Tony puts his hand on the floor to support himself to get up. “Don't forget to clean up the mess when you're done.” 

“Can you help me?” 

Tony feels warm at that question. Not that she actually needs his help, but she wants his help. She wants him by her side. Wants to do this with him. Tony had never felt that with Howard, never wanted that with him. “Help you with the dog, or help you clean up the mess?” 

She has a cheeky smile. “Both?” 

He shakes his head with a smile. She entertains him so much. “Alright”, he says, sitting back down. 

“Maybe we can do this in the garage?”, she suggests innocently. 

“Ha. Uh-uh. You know you're not allowed in the garage. Not before you're at least... 18.” 

To his surprise, she doesn't insist. “Okay”, she says, getting back to work on the robot dog. “As long as it's not a lifetime.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep picturing random scenes and then I don't know what to make of them. Like, I've written a grocery scene? What am I gonna do with a grocery scene? xD Tony may be dead but the IronFam lives in my head.
> 
> Also sorry that I don't make any writing efforts. I'm too lazy and don't have writing skills, so I just write my ideas as they come.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is getting messier and messier, but I hope you enjoy it anyway! :)

August 27. They did it. Well, Pepper did it, if Tony is being honest. He only owns twelve percent of the credit.

The lake house is where their new life is, so that's where they are getting married again. If there is one place in the world where they belong, that is the place. Tony had never felt a better sense of peace than when watching sunsets sitting by the lake, Morgan between Pepper and him. That's where they said goodbye to him, and now that's where they celebrate life together every night.

Today really is the perfect day. It is sunny, it is warm, and it has everyone that matters in Tony's life. Finally.

“I'm sweating, did someone turn off the a/c? Please turn on the a/c.”

“The a/c's on, you're just nervous”, Rhodey replies with an amused smile, readjusting Tony's bow. “What, are you scared Pepper's gonna say no?”

“You should be scared I'd trade you as my best man for Happy.”

Rhodey grits his teeth. “Don't you dare. He was your best man the first time, now is my turn.”

“You make the best bow ties, I gotta give you that.”

“I really do.”

“How do I look?”

“Great. Except you stink. Come here, Pepper's not marrying Tony Stank.”

“You're never gonna drop that, are you? This better not be in your speech tonight”, Tony warns him, but holds back his laugh.

“You bet this'll be.”

Happy barges in the dressing room like a bull. Also looking as angry as a bull. “What are you doing?! Pepper's been ready for half an hour, what's taking you so long?!”

“Rhodey struggled with the bow tie.”

“I didn't!”

“Well, hurry up!”, Happy snaps, before turning around and walking away.

“See”, Tony shrugs. “At least Happy would've been better with the schedule. I bet he was.”

Rhodey rolls his eyes. “I'm filing a divorce.”

“Good thing I'm not marrying you.”

They both laugh, and Rhodey pats Tony in the back. “Alright, let's go outside. Have a perfect day, Tony.”

*

It's an odd world, really, and it shows in the rows. A god of thunder, a raccoon, a blue woman, a princess, a human-kree, a sorcerer, a woman with antennae. Tony doesn't know half of these people, but Pepper insisted they are part of his life. “You wanted to connect with them”, she said. “You wished they were part of your life.”

Mostly there are the ones that matter. Not that everyone else doesn't matter, but Tony wouldn't spend his life without those ones especially. Rhodey. Happy. Peter. Harley.

Nat. She smiles at him when he passes next to her.

“ _One last mission”, Steve had said a few months ago._

“ _You never get tired, do you?”, Tony had asked._

“ _Fighting? Yes. Saving people? No.”_

Nat was back in the evening. And kicking asses again the next day.

When Tony makes it to the altar, facing the crowd, Rhodey by his side, he hears that vaguely annoying sound - _Click. Click. Click –_ and he knows. His eyes find Peter immediately. Harley, sitting next to him, nudges him. The kid lowers his old camera and smiles at Tony. Tony rolls his eyes, holding back a smile.

“ _How old is_ that _?”, Tony asked judgingly, pointing at Peter's old camera._

“ _Not as old as you.”_

_Tony gave him_ that _look. “Sorry, sorry, I take that back”, Peter said quickly with a wince. “It was Uncle Ben's. May said I could have it. I'm starting this new job – I'm a photographer.”_

“ _Please don't tell me you're trying to be an instagram influencer.”_

“ _I'm not! I'm an instagram... photographer.”_

_Tony sighed and rolled his eyes at the same time._

“ _Anyway, I just meant to ask – I'd love to be your official wedding photographer.”_

“ _What, do you think you're special?”_

“ _I, ugh, no, I just -”, Peter stammered._

“ _Kidding”, Tony laughed. Ha, that was mean, but he liked to mess with the kid. “What's your price?”_

“ _Hum... I was gonna do it for free?”_

_Tony looked offended. “Don't. Don't ever work for free. Money is power, power is pizza, pizza is knowledge.”_

“ _What?”_

“ _Let's order pizza. You're staying, right? Can you get Morgan ready for dinner?”_

_*_

The band starts playing and Morgan appears first. She's wearing a simple white tutu dress, with a white ribbon that ends up in a bow behind her back. Her hair is up in a bun. She starts throwing the yellow rose petals inside the little wooden bucket she's holding in her other hand. Tony melts. This cute little girl is his cute little girl and she has the brightest smile and radiates happiness.

“ _The last time your dad and I got married, you were in my womb, kicking me”, Pepper had told her._

_Morgan had beamed. “Maybe I wanted to throw the rose petals already!”_

So she takes her role very seriously.

Then Pepper walks in, holding her father's arm. Tony knows how much that means to her, too. Her father wasn't there to walk her down the aisle the last time.

And the dress... Tony is close to dying again. He recognizes it immediately. It's that dress. The blue dress she was wearing the night they shared their first dance. Except it's white, this time.

“Don't sweat”, Rhodey tells him, and Tony laughs. He doesn't sweat, but he lets a few tears roll down his cheeks.

He offers his hand when Pepper reaches the altar, and she takes it with the brightest smile too. “A few tears for your wife?”, she asks.

“Tears of joy.”

They are facing each other now, and looking inside each other's eyes like the rest of the world doesn't exist. Tony can't even hear the annoying _clicks_ from Peter's camera anymore. But it clicks a lot.

They didn't really need for someone to officiate - just like Tony didn't need Rhodey to be his best man, and Pepper didn't need Maria to be her bridesmaid - since they are actually married and this is actually a vow renewal ceremony, but T'Challa had agreed to officiate symbolically.

“You two have decided to write your own vows. Mr Stark, you may start.”

Tony takes a deep breath. It's all quiet around them now. “Hey, Mrs Stark”, he says, and she smiles. It's always been this. Hey Pep. Hey Miss Potts. Hey Mrs Stark. “If you were gonna tell me I'd get so lucky in life, I wouldn't have believed you. Once upon a time, I was man who had everything but nothing. Now I have everything. The reason I have everything is because you gave me everything. You gave me your love, and I feel blessed. In giving me your love, you gave me a life. And here we are today, thirteen years later, married, with an amazing daughter. Are we having that happy ending? I believe we are. Actually, I believe we're still at the beginning of the journey. Whatever comes next, I know the worst is behind us. The nightmares are over. Now we're living a dream, and the future is bright. I may need glasses now, but I've never seen clearer. And that's because I've got everything. My everything is not money, it's not fast cars, designer suits, a tower in the middle of New York. My everything is my wife and daugther. I could say I would die for you. But, uh, I won't leave your side ever again. Well, not before I'm old and we both can't leave the bed anymore. So I'm gonna say I will live for you. If you'll have me again.”

Pepper nods. They are holding each other's hands and Tony can feel how she suddenly tightened her grip. Not letting go. Not letting him go. Then it's her turn to take a deep breath.

“Hey, Mr Potts”, she says, and the audience laughs. “You're one of a kind and that's why I wouldn't spend my life with anyone else in the world. Back then, everyone would tell me, what do you find in him? Because they don't know you like I do, because they don't see you like I do. I love your kindness. I love how you make me laugh. I love the way you look at me. I love your loyalty. I love your love. And you're the best father in the world – sorry, dad. Whether you're fifty million miles away or whether you're dead, I won't stop loving you. Until death do us part, we said, but even death didn't do us part. So let's stay in this life together. I'll have you again three thousand times. Because it's you. It's always you.”

“Do you”, T'Challa speaks, "Virginia Potts, continue to take Anthony Edward Stark as your husband?”

“I do”, Pepper replies, with tears in her eyes, and Tony feels blessed to finally hear her say those two simple words.

“Do you, Anthony Edward Stark, continue to take Virginia Potts as your wife?

“I do”, Tony says, with tears in his eyes, and it is thrilling to say those two simple words himself.

“I now pronounce you, once again, as husband and wife. You may ki- they are kissing already”, T'Challa laughs embarrassingly, and Rhodey just shrugs, like _yep, I'm used to that, they once kissed passionately on a rooftop, not even realizing I was here too. They're weird. We love them anyway._

He bends down to talk to Morgan discreetly. “Throw them flowers.”

“I've only got rice left.”

Rhodey stands back up with a grin. “Even better.”

Morgan throws the rice. At him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be a part two. The reception. I gotta say, writing the wedding isn't my favorite thing because a/ I don't know much about weddings, b/ I feel like I don't do them justice. Pepper and Tony deserve a perfect, detailed wedding. And I'll never write romantic speeches as good as Tony's xD But anyway... I guess that's still better than having no wedding at all xD


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically just more speeches. I'm sorry, I only like writing dialogues.

Standing up, Rhodey taps his glass and the guests go quiet under the wedding tent. The world outside is getting dark. “Hey, everyone. It’s that time of the night where I get to say some nice words about the little selfish bastard that is Tony Stark.”

“Tony and I have been best friends for most of our lives. Brothers. We did pretty much everything together in life. From graduating together to almost getting married – yeah, that’s a good story. That was a bet and I stand by what I said – I would’ve done it if Exeggevil hadn’t stopped us. I mean Stane. Because I was, and I’m always going to stand by you, support you, and protect you.”

“Too late to object to the wedding, Rhodes”, Tony calls from his table, and people laugh. “I married someone else.”

“Pity. Because yes, then came Pepper, and he only ever had eyes for her ever since. Pepper this, Pepper that. Ugh, Pepper’s such a pain in the ass, why did I hire her? I really should fire her – have I ruined the honeymoon yet?”

Pepper’s shoulders shake in a silent laugh, and her head says no in response.

“But he made her CEO instead”, Rhodey continues. “Typical Tony. And twenty years later and they got married twice. Who would’ve thought?” Rhodey raises his hand in the air, answering his own question. “Me.” He points at Nat, who just raised her hand too. “Nat.” Points behind her. “Happy, Fury, Coulson – wow. We really didn’t see this coming. Now I gotta say, you were a good man, Tony, but Pepper brought out the best in you. Pepper gave you the life and love you needed. And I have to be honest, crushes my heart and all, but I couldn’t have done half as much as she did. Is anyone filming?”

Of course, Peter raises his hand. “I’m filming.”

“Great. Can you zoom in on my face, serious talk coming. Some people say – and I’m talking to you, Tony Stark haters – some may say Tony Stark is a lucky man and doesn’t deserve Pepper. But the truth is, Pepper is equally lucky. She owns the bravest, kindest, most loving heart I know.” Raising his glass, Rhodey ends his speech. “To Pepper Stark and Tony Stank.”

It’s Maria’s turn to make a speech and it’s women empowering. Tony stands up after her to make a speech of his own too.

“Alright, first, I’d like to thank everyone of you who came. Even those I don’t know. I’ve heard we get along. Apparently I also even invited you to the wedding myself. I can’t wait to get to know you. I’d like to thank Pepper’s parents. Judith, Craig, I’m thankful. You made the perfect daughter and I’m glad you didn’t run away when she told you we were dating. Rhodey, you’re my best man tonight, but you’re also the best man in the whole world. Georgia, Martin, I should thank you as well. Sorry I chose to marry someone else. Now Pepper, I think I’ve said pretty much everything already and ugh, everything else I want to tell you belongs in the bedroom, so let’s keep them for tonight.”

“Is it that you love her three thousand?”, Morgan asks next to him.

“Yes. I love you three thousand – that’s what I tell Morgan in the bedroom every night so huh, let’s keep her innocent”, Tony laughs, and bends over to give a quick kiss to Morgan on her forehead.

“Don’t forget me”, she warns him.

“Never. Keeping you for the end”, Tony grins, and he lifts her up to carry her in his arms. “Morgan, sweetie. I know this is a complicated situation for you but a few months ago, I was only dreaming about you. A sudden jump into the future and you’re this smart, beautiful, sassy little girl I ever dreamed of. Don’t grow up too fast, please, but I know you’re gonna be this same smart, beautiful, sassy woman someday. I’ll be by your side when that day happens. I promise.”

As a response, Morgan puts her arms around her father’s neck and gives him a kiss on the cheek.

“Mom, dad”, Pepper starts a little later, “thank you for giving me the opportunity to go to university and giving me enough confidence to step up at Stark Industries the day after I graduated, knowing I had zero previous experience. When I got hired, do you remember what you told me, mom? Don’t fall for the Stark boy. Well, that day, I got hired. Then I became the CEO. Then I fell for the Stark boy. Thank you for letting Tony be part of our family when he didn’t have any. We now made our own little family and I would’ve never, ever dreamed of that before, but it’s the best thing that happened to me. I've got the best girl, who makes me laugh harder than anyone and made my heart double in size. And my husband, well, honey, Rhodey is right. You’ve got the kindest, bravest, most loving heart I know. And America’s ass – sorry Steve.”

They dance afterwards, and Tony sees himself fifteen years ago, sharing his first dance with Pepper. It feels like it was yesterday.

“Remember our first dance, fifteen years ago?”, Tony says. 

“Yes”, Pepper nods, and laughs in embarrassment. “I had forgotten to wear deodorant.”

“Not tonight.”

“Not tonight”, she confirms with a smile, and tilting her head, bringing it closer to his, she whispers in his ear. “But I’m not wearing any underpants.”

Tony bites his lips and laughs. “Did you forget too?”

Pepper’s left hand comes at the back of his neck and fondles him tenderly. “No. That was very, very deliberate", she says, implying that this is more than a fashion choice.

Tony smirks. "You think you're getting lucky tonight?"

"I think _you're_ getting lucky."

Tony gulps, and steps backwards. “ _I think..._  I need a drink. Do you want a drink?”

“Yes, please.” Pepper can’t hide her smile of amusement.

“A martini? With a lot of olives, right? Like, at least three olives?”, Tony says, keeping on stepping backwards, his back hitting people on the way.

Pepper laughs open heartedly this time. She missed this side of her husband, this side of their relationship. Even in those five years together, despite being closer than ever, they were rarely teasing each other. Their hearts were not in it. The only times she truly saw him happy and excited during those last five years was when he was working on bringing back everyone.

At the drink table is the person Tony least expected to come across. “Is this wise?”, he asks Steve as the old man serves himself a glass of wine.

Steve looks up at him and shrugs. His shoulders are slightly slouched but even like that, he remains taller than Tony. “I’ve been past beyond wise years ago.”

“I don’t think you’ve ever been, actually”, Tony points out.

“Point taken.”

There is a small blank, as Steve takes a few sips and Tony makes a glass of martini for Pepper. When done, he stays there anyway, turning his body slightly towards Steve. “I didn’t say it in front of everyone, but...”

“Don’t.”

“Thank you. For bringing me back.”

Steve shakes his head. “It should’ve been me.”

“What?”

“I should’ve made the sacrifice. I shouldn’t have let you make the sacrifice. You’re not a soldier.”

Tony takes the glass out of his hand. “I once would’ve died to know what drunk Steve Rogers was like, but I think I prefer sober Steve.”

“I should’ve kept you safe and alive. So bringing you back... was the least I could do.”

“Killing the mood, grandpa. I said thank you, just take it, I won’t say it a third time.”

Steve has a little laugh, and nods slowly. “I’m keeping that”, Tony states, putting the glass further away from Steve. “Shouldn’t it be bedtime for you, anyway?”

“It’s bedtime for her”, Pepper says, coming from behind.

Tony turns. Pepper is carrying Morgan in her arms. The little girl’s head rests heavily on her mother’s shoulder, her hair covering her face. Tony brushes a strand off of her eyes. They are shut tight.

*

Like most children, Morgan wakes up when her parents put her to bed. “Story time”, she asks, when Tony takes her shoes off.

“You want a story now?”

“I’ve got a story”, she replies.

“You’re the storyteller tonight?”

Morgan nods, rubbing her eyes with her fists, as Pepper tucks her in. “Once upon a time...”, she stops and yawns. “Once upon a time, we all lived happily ever after.”

Pepper smiles. Tony smiles. “Wow. That’s my favorite story.”

Morgan falls asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh, I didn't know how you'd react to Pepper and Tony, hum, sexually teasing each other? I'm not good at writing smut so it's not gonna happen here anyway, and making them tease each other even seemed daring because this has not been the tone of this "fic", but I also feel like this is part of their relationship? I love their mature, domestic love, but the ear whispering moment during that tower scene in Avengers, the "I'm going to take a shower/You're coming with me" part in Iron Man 3... xD


	6. Chapter 6

“I need to show you something”, Pepper says the next day.

It is the end of the day, and they just finished cleaning up the house. Pepper and Tony are on the couch, taking a well deserved break, cuddled up and sipping a fresh drink. Morgan is outside, playing with Yippee.

Tony follows her to the lab. He hasn’t been down there that much those last few months. As much as he loves tickling with his toys, as he says to Morgan, this hasn’t been his primary interest. Putting his family first came naturally.

So he never noticed what Pepper takes out of the drawer and puts in front of him on the table. It’s a small box, locked with a padlock, that Pepper opens with her fingerprint.

Tony strokes the glasses inside of it with the tip of his fingers. He knows what they are for. “B.A.R.F”, he says.

Pepper nods slowly. “Everything in there is your memory. Your last five years, they’re in there. I wanted to show this to you earlier - “ She puts a hand in her hair, looking away, as if feeling guilty. “But I was afraid you’d want to live in the past. I wanted you to make your own memories first, live in the present first. To get to know what you’ve got on your own, not from...”

“Hey”, Tony says, putting his hand on top of hers, stopping her fingers from tapping the table nervously. He gives her a smile. “You did the right thing.” His other hand fiddles with the glasses.

She interlocks their fingers together and looks back at him with a little smile. “Anyway, it’s yours now.”

This is tempting. Oh, how he dreams of filling in the gaps, of seeing Morgan grow up from his own eyes and not just from pictures and videos. But Tony knows what is in there too. The pain, the loss. And that, is dreading.

Pepper stands up and strokes the base of his neck. “I’m gonna give Morgan a bath”, she says.

He nods, and she leaves him alone with his memories.

It’s his decision.

Slowly, he puts the glasses on his nose and taps them on the side to start them on. “Friday? Day one.”

The room changes, building itself around Tony. He is still in the lab, though, but this lab is not finished yet. They probably moved in not that long ago.

Tony finds past him on the floor. He is fiddling with a little disk on his temple, that present Tony recognizes as a little hard drive, probably connected to the glasses past him is also wearing. The hard drive connects everything to his memory, while the glasses scan his surroundings and every moves for B.A.R.F, Tony knows.

_Lost in his work, he doesn’t hear the sound of Pepper’s heels as she walks down the stairs and to him._

_“What is that again?”, she asks softly._

_Tony looks up, readjusting his glasses up on his nose. “Uh - I can see you naked”, he replies with a cheeky smile._

_Pepper rolls her eyes._

_He chuckles and supports himself to stand up. “Alright, it’s connected to my memory. Basically, it records everything as long as I wear this”, he explains, tapping the little disk on his temple with his forefinger._

_“You better not wear this in bed”, she warns him._

_“Once?”_

_She gives him a look, and he chuckles once more. “Alright, alright. It’s not for me, anyway. I’ve been thinking it might be good for Morgan, someday. In case of an...”_

_Pepper sighs. “Untimely death?”, she completes._

_Seems like she knew that line._

_Tony puts his hand on Pepper’s small belly. “How is he today?”_

_“She”, Pepper replies, “is well.”_

_Tony raises his eyebrows curiously “She? Women’s intuition?”_

_Pepper laughs, relaxes in the moment, and shows the paper she was holding in her hand this whole time. “Ultrasound appointment.”_

_Tony chuckles. “I feel dumb.”_

*

The surroundings change once more. They are indoor again. Tony recognizes the city hall. Not much has changed, there.

Pepper is wearing her other wedding dress. The one he’s seen in pictures. She looks dashing. Past Tony rolls his fingers down her sleeve as she comes next to him. Present Tony can feel the lacy texture with his own fingers. Can smell her perfume. Can feel her lips when they kiss after taking their vows. He can feel Morgan kicking her feet when past Tony rests his hands on Pepper’s rounder belly. Can feel Rhodey’s hand on his shoulder afterwards - “Congratulations, Tony”.

Can feel the emptiness and the pain past Tony feels when he looks at the empty seats behind them.

There’s Rhodey, there’s Happy, and the weight of the gone and the ones Tony moved on from. The Avengers.

*

They are in a hospital bedroom, now.

_Morgan Stark is crying and Tony takes her from her craddle to put her in Pepper’s arms. She lifts her shirt and starts to feed Morgan, immediately ending her crying._

_Past Tony sits next to them, the mattress sinking a little at his weight. He puts his arm around Pepper and looks down at their daughter with infinite tenderness._

_“She’s so beautiful”, he says. “You did a great job, mama.”_

_Pepper looks up at him with a smile. “You can give yourself some credit. Like, twelve percent of the credit.”_

_Tony raises an eyebrow. “Twelve percent?”_

_“An argument can be made for fifteen.”_

_Tony laughs openly, genuinely. This was one of those rare moments Pepper saw him truly happy._

*

“Chow time!”

Tony startles. Taking away his glasses, the hospital room fades around him. His daughter, his now almost five year-old daughter, is looking at him from the top of the stairs, in her pyjamas.

Tony blinks, setting himself back into the present. “What’s for dinner?”, he asks, putting the glasses back into the box.

“Crickets.”

“Yum.”

Something little, something furry, something meowing shows up at Morgan’s legs. Tony frowns. “Who’s this little guy?”

“He followed me.” Morgan shrugs innocently.

“He followed you?”

“Yippee was playing with him.”

Tony walks up the stairs. “So we’re keeping him?”

“I thought you could ask mommy.”

“Wow." He gives her a shocked look and takes her hand. "You’re seriously giving me the dirty job?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I use some of my past Tumblr posts sometimes, because they fit here.
> 
> Okay I've got something planned next but I don't know if you guys would like it - how do you like the idea of high school teacher!Tony?


End file.
